When the French Police found Vincent, he was very weak and drained from his blood, so they took him to Arles hospital. He will be greeted and looked after by Doctor Rey, who will become his friend, and of whom he will make several portraits.
Admitted on September 24th, he will quickly recover, though he was thought to be lost, and will go back to the Yellow House on January 7th, with his friend Roulin who, with the help of the cleaner, had tidied and cleaned the two floors spattered in his blood.
Vincent suffers from insomnia and nightmares but resumes painting. Nevertheless, he feels the need to visit Doctor Rey, worried about his mental health and from the beginning of February, feeling unable to tackle matters from everying day life, he will have his meals at the Hotel-Dieu and will sleep there every night.
During the day, he goes back to the Yellow House to paint, until a petition from thirty neighbours prompts the Mayor to have him committed by force, in the absence of Doctor Rey, himself ill. Prevented from reading, smoking and painting, Vincent is most miserable, and deplores the injustice made upon him in a letter to Theo where he’s asking him not to intervene, as he hopes things will settle by themselves”.
As soon as Doctor Rey comes back, his diet will be lighter, he will be allowed to paint then go out from mid-March.
He will leave the Hotel-Dieu in May for the Mausole hospice.